The timing of this blog is somewhat coincidental because goal-setting was the topic of a recent psychology newsletter that lands in my inbox each week. In this particular edition, the author actually stated that, in his opinion, setting goals could be counter-productive. He believed that having a series of goals that were unmet increased certain feelings of underachievement and failure. Whilst I do see his perspective, I actually disagree with the general sentiment. Yes, if you set overambitious goals that aren’t truly realistic, then you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. However, setting challenging but realistic goals can be a major motivator and exactly what some athletes need in order to succeed.

I started setting goals early on in my cycling career. Actually, come to think of it, a goal was what landed me in time trialling in the first place. Prior to being a cyclist I was a rower and competed in the Oxford-Cambridge women’s boat race, representing “Blondie”, the Cambridge heavyweight reserve boat. We won our race (and so I am the proud owner of a rowing blade) but as we were the second boat we were rewarded with the accolade of “University Colours” rather than the prestigious Oxbridge “Full Blue”. I really wanted that Blue. So when I progressed from undergrad to PhD student and was looking for a new sporting challenge, I also had in the back of my mind that I wanted to try and achieve a Blue. Enter cycling. At the time, the Blues criteria for cycling at Cambridge all revolved around time trialling and so that was the discipline I chose to focus on. Luckily my strong endurance engine meant I was well-suited for TTs and so my goal of obtaining my Blue was something that was within reach.

I actually met the Full Blue criteria in the first year of my PhD, 2012, but I learnt that by identifying things that I really wanted to achieve, and setting goals, I became more focussed, motivated and determined. I rarely missed training and became very efficient at balancing a busy schedule to make sure that I was getting everything done.

After obtaining my Blue, my next major goal was to podium at one of the CTT National Championships and in 2013 I finished 2nd at the Circuit Championship behind Julia Shaw. The natural progression was a victory at a CTT Championship, which I achieved in the National 50 in 2014 (and later that year in the 10), and from there I set my sights on a podium result at the British Cycling National TT Championship. For personal reasons I actually didn’t race that event in 2014 (in fact I almost didn’t race the 50) and so my attention turned to the 2015 race. The goal of a podium motivated me through hard winter training, got me out of bed and onto the bike before heading into the lab and made me focus on the things that would make me better as a TT rider. It wasn’t all plain sailing; a few weeks prior to the race I once again competed in the National 50 and ended up second behind Julia. I questioned my form, my preparation and whether I should race British Nationals. However I continued as planned and on 25th June 2015 became Elite British TT Champion.

Needless to say, I have continued setting goals in the years that have followed. Not all have been met and of course there have been some disappointments and maybe one or two regrets. However in general, the work that I have put into trying to achieve things has improved me as a cyclist and a person in one way or another. I’ve learnt things about myself both as an athlete and an individual and those lessons have been invaluable. At times, goals have had to be adapted. Sometimes due to illness or injury and at other times due to other circumstances. But as I’ve become older I like to think that I’ve become more mature about being flexible and sometimes realising that the timeframe for achieving something may need to be altered.

So do I have goals at the moment? Of course I do. I think I always will because for me they are a key driving factor. I actually started this season with a goal that I’ve decided to change the timeline of, simply because of another opportunity that has arisen. Slightly cryptic? Perhaps…but I find that widely advertising the things I still hope to achieve adds a certain amount of external pressure that doesn’t always help me. I’m aware of my own psychological challenges and I do my best to mitigate these! However in the next two months I have two goals that I very much hope to achieve…watch this space. I promise to write a follow up on the events in question. In the meantime, if you wonder why I’m slogging my way through 20+ hour training weeks…well, I’m feeling motivated by what’s coming up!

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Hayley’s golden rules of goal-setting:

• Make the goal something that’s within your capabilities. Yes, challenge yourself. Make it hard; something that you’ll need to work in order to achieve. But make sure that it IS achievable. Also make sure that it is a personal goal and not something that relies upon other people.

• Give yourself a realistic timeframe. “I want to win Nationals next week” is probably not achievable for most people, but “I want to win Nationals in the next 3 years” is something that can be worked towards.

• Don’t set too many goals at once. Focus on one thing that would really mean a lot to you because that means that you can direct your energy towards that. And even if, for some reason, you don’t quite manage to achieve the exact thing that you set out to, the progress you make on the way will likely be extremely fulfilling.

• Enjoy the process. Recognise the work you’ve put in and the improvements you’ve made en route to your goal. Don’t punish yourself when things don’t go completely to plan and also don’t be afraid to be flexible and make adjustments along the way if circumstances necessitate. A goal is an incredible motivator when used correctly but there is that danger of it becoming an extra psychological load if not managed properly.